Financial Times Mandate articles from April 2003

Financial Times Mandate archives from April 2003

News: Montana war against French stocks spurs $14.9m sell off.(Montana Board of Investments votes to sell French assets)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... US pension schemes are torn between patriotism and their fiduciary duty after a major US fund announced its decision to pull out of French stocks following France's anti-Iraq war stance. The $5bn Montana Board of Investments has voted 5 to...

News: Implement Higgs or see share price suffer.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... Over 68 per cent of UK corporate brokers believe that a company promoting a former chief executive to the position of chairman will suffer a detrimental effect on the company's share price of more than 7.5 per cent, according to research by...

News: Los Angeles replaces Loomis Sayles with MW Post.(Los Angeles County Retirement Association gives contract to MW Post Advisory Group)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... MW Post Advisory Group has won a $250m high yield fixed income mandate following the firing of Loomis Sayles by the Los Angeles County Retirement Association (Lacera). The pension fund is also waiting to appoint a new core bond manager for a...

Editorial: Stuck on the horns of an investment dilemma.(market timing for investment manager trustees)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
April 7, 2003... You might think that the havoc wreaked on the funding positions of mature pension schemes might have driven trustees to run screaming from a horribly painful bear stock market. Instead, trustees are stuck on the horns of a dilemma. Should they...

News: In brief - Unbundling paves the way for Gartmore deals.(Gartmore Investment Management share trade deals with Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... The unbundling of commission payments has been given a boost after Gartmore Investment Management announced two deals with City brokers. The deals have been negotiated with Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch and allow Gartmore to execute share...

News: In brief - Reech's online portfolio adopted by Irish Life.(Reech Capital to provide independent valuation services)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... One of Ireland's largest fund management companies has selected Reech Capital to provide independent valuation services. Irish Life Investment Managers selected Reech's FastVal+ online portfolio valuation engine to deliver independent...

News: In brief - Castlefield selects NCS for depositary brief.(Castlefield Investments gives depositary and global custody contract to National Custodian Services)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... National Custodian Services (NCS) has picked up a depositary and global custody brief worth GBP25m. Castlefield Investments selected NCS to manage the custody arrangements for its UK and global equity funds. John Eckersley, investment...

News: In brief - Year-on-year record trading by Eurex.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... The Eurex international derivatives market set a new record for March with more than 106m contracts traded, beating the previous record by 20m. All across the derivatives product board, Eurex reported record trading and overall volume increased...

News: In brief - Acquisitions prompts change of name for Man.(Man Investment Products renamed as Man Investments)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... Man Investment Products, the $25bn fund management division of alternative investments provider, Man Group, has been renamed as Man Investments. The rebranding exercise follows the recent acquisitions by the Man Group of Westport, a...

News: In brief - CLARIFICATION.(RBC Global Services' total assets under custody is $837billion)(Brief Article)(Correction Notice)
April 7, 2003... FT Mandate's Securities Services supplement of February 24, erroneously stated RBC Global Services' total assets under custody as $837bn. The correct figure is $873bn.

News: Oklahoma outsources global equities.(Causeway Capital Management and Capital Guardian gain contracts from the Oklahoma Teachers' Retirement System)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... Causeway Capital Management and Capital Guardian have won international equity mandates worth between $150m and $200m each from the $5.42bn Oklahoma Teachers' Retirement System (TRS). The new mandates, which increase international equity...

News: Dutch pension fund AVH fails performance test.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... A Dutch state pension fund has denied it will haemorrhage contributors following its failure to pass a regulatory rolling five-year benchmark. The Agricultural and Food Supply (AVH) industry pension fund scored lower than a -1.28 test...

News: Wyatt warns US Treasury of pensions crisis.(Watson Wyatt)
April 7, 2003... The US Treasury must act now if the country wants to avert a pensions crisis, according to a global investment consultant. Watson Wyatt found that the number of fully funded pension schemes in the US has fallen by more than 100 per cent,...

News: Xerox Corporation named and shamed by CalPERS.(California Public Employees' Retirement System seeks changes in Xerox management structure)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... The $131bn California Public Employees' Retirement System's (CalPERS) has named and shamed Xerox Corporation in a bid to force the company to overhaul its management structure following an accounting scandal. Stating that it was "deeply...

Comment and Analysis: Multi-manager growth to drive distribution.
April 7, 2003... Manager of manager offerings have captured the imagination of institutional investors and according to the latest research, it has become one of the fastest growing segments in asset management. With a projected growth of 22 per cent for...

News: Pennsylvania drops Clifton Group and JPMorgan.(Pennsylvania State Employees' Retirement System drops investment managers)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... JPMorgan Fleming Asset Management has lost mandates valued at just over $300m from the $20.3bn Pennsylvania State Employees' Retirement System (PSERS), while in a separate development Clifton Group Investment Management has also parted company...

News: Record multi-manager growth trend to extend to 2007.(in the asset management industry)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... Multi-manager offerings are set to grow by 22 per cent in the next four years and will amount to more than $1000bn assets under management. According to research by Cerulli Associates (CA), manager of manager products totalled $489bn at the...

News: Call for industry standards to define transaction costs.(in fund management)
April 7, 2003... UK fund managers have called for the term "transaction costs" to be clarified, according to a new survey by research consultancy, ClientKnowledge. The study, carried out on behalf of technology-based agency stockbroker ITG Europe, found...

News: In brief - CalPERS announces committee choices.(California Public Employees' Retirement System names chairmen for several of its board of administration committees)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... The California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS), the world's largest pension fund with $131bn of assets, has announced the election choices for chairmen for several of its board of administration committees. The most important...

News: In brief - Golden age of risk-free investments diappears.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... The majority of European fund managers are pessimistic on a range of traditionally "safe" investment havens. A survey by Morningstar Europe has discovered that US government bonds, euro-zone government bonds and gold were all considered risky...

News: China awards Citibank QFII custodian licence.(qualified foreign institutional investors )(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... Citibank has been granted a licence to provide custodian services in mainland China to qualified foreign institutional investors (QFIIs). The approval from the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) and State Administration of...

News: Hill signs oe24m UK equities contract with Threadneedle.(Threadneedle Asset Management gains William Hill Pension Scheme contract)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... Threadneedle Asset Management has won a GBP24m UK equity fund mandate from the William Hill Pension Scheme. The mandate which is benchmarked to the FTSE All-Share Index, calls for an outperformance of 1.5 per cent to 2 per cent over a...

News: Torfaen tables aggressive agenda.(Torfaen County Council Greater Gwent Pension Fund in Wales)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... Torfaen County Council Greater Gwent Pension Fund in Wales has awarded mandates totalling GBP590m to four managers in a move to shift more of its assets from passive to active management. Gartmore, which managed 40 per cent of the GBP730m...

How the deal was won: McCain warms to Attica research.(Attica Asset Management gains McCain Foods pension contract)
April 7, 2003... Attica Asset Management's emphasis on qualitative rather than quantitative research was a key factor in capturing a GBP50m multi-manager investment mandate from the McCain Foods (GB) Limited Pension and Life Assurance Scheme. Nick Slater,...

News: Insight is blessed with oe30m church mandate.(Insight Investment gets Church of England Pensions Board contract)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... Insight Investment has won a GBP30m bond mandate from the Church of England Pensions Board following the termination of a balanced brief held by Merrill Lynch Investment Managers (MLIM). The mandate to invest in both UK and overseas...

News: JPMorgan secures back- office briefs at the YMCA.(JPMorgan Investor Services to be global custody provicer for YMCA Retirement Fund)
April 7, 2003... JPMorgan Investor Services (JPMIS) has been selected by the New York-based YMCA Retirement Fund as global custody provider for its $3.2bn in assets. JPMorgan Investor Services will provide global custody, accounting performance measurement and...

News: Mellon farms out SA custody.(Mellon Financial Corporation)(SG Global Securities Services )(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... SG Global Securities Services (SGGSS) in Johannesburg has won a $800m mandate to provide South African sub-custody and securities services to Mellon Financial Corporation. Joseph Rossi, executive vice-president of Mellon Global Securities...

News: SSgA gains from its 'stable track record'.(State Street Global Advisors)(Kingfisher International Inc.)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... State Street Global Advisors (SSgA) has scooped a GBP400m multi-asset passive mandate from the Kingfisher Pension Scheme. SSgA replaces two incumbent index-tracking managers following a re-tendering process. Colin Hately, Kingfisher's...

News: Bond win for Investec.(Investec Asset Management wins a global bond mandate from Murray and Roberts)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... Investec Asset Management has won a GBP15m global bond mandate from Murray and Roberts, a South Africa-based engineering and contracting industrial group. Toy Otto, group benefits executive at Murray and Roberts, said the mandate was...

News: In brief - Cross-listing of latest ETF from UBS will facilitate UK investors.(UBS Global Asset Management to cross-list Fresco Dow Jones Euro Stoxx 50 Bees fund)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... UBS Global Asset Management has announced that, following the introduction of its Fresco Dow Jones Euro Stoxx 50 Bees at Euronext Paris in January, it is cross-listing this exchange-traded fund (ETF) at virt-x. UBS said that this cross-listing...

News: In brief - Phoenix Life gives State Street another batch of business.(to provide investment accounting and regulatory reporting )(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... State Street has been selected by Phoenix Life Insurance Company to provide investment accounting and regulatory reporting for $9bn of general account assets and $5bn of separate account assets. This adds to the $8bn in Phoenix Life assets...

News: In brief - GMO to run LGT's E29m global emerging markets portfolio.(GMO (Boston, Massachusetts))(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... LGT Capital Management, the Swiss-based fund of funds manager, has appointed GMO to manage a GBP41m (E29m) global emerging markets portfolio. Michael Simmeth, head of manager selection for LGT, said: "We were attracted by the long...

News Analysis: Global stock markets - Asia provides shelter in wartime.
April 7, 2003... The US and British-led invasion of Iraq saw a pronounced rally on the stock markets, but this was to be short-lived. The uncertainty created by the war in the Middle East has subsequently sent investors fleeing from equities and within five...

People News: JPMorgan moves to extend client reach.(John Gaudioso hired by JPMorgan Investor Services as head of sales and marketing management for non-custodial services )(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... John Gaudioso has been hired by JPMorgan Investor Services as head of sales and marketing management for non-custodial services in the Western Hemisphere. His appointment marks a move to offer securities lending services to a wider client base....

People News: Fortis recruits new head of alternatives.(Fortis Investment Management names Albert Mandic as head of alternative investments)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... Fortis Investment Management (FIM) has appointed Albert Mandic as head of alternative investments. Based in Luxembourg, Mr Mandic will be responsible for developing and promoting FIM's range of funds of hedge funds to institutional and...

People News: Deutsche announces senior appointments.(Deutsche Asset Management )(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... Deutsche Asset Management (DeAM) has appointed Bill Barron as global head of research. Based in London, Mr Barron will be responsible for all the global sector team heads. Prior to joining DeAM, Mr Barron was deputy chief investment...

People News: Williams wins key post at Morley.(Ceris Williams named head of fixed income at Morley Fund Management)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... Ceris Williams has been promoted to head of fixed income at Morley Fund Management. Mr Williams, who joined Morley from Rothschild Asset Management last September as head of sovereign bonds, replaces former head of fixed income and...

People News: Van Gorp to develop fixed income at BGI.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... Barclays Global Investors (BGI) has chosen Gerrit Van Gorp to head fixed income business development within its European Individual Investor Business (EIIB) group. Mr Van Gorp will be responsible for the development and distribution of...

People News: Wyatt adds to UK investment team.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... Watson Wyatt has appointed Debbie Clarke as a senior investment consultant in the UK. Ms Clarke joins from Friends Ivory and Sime where she was head of global equities.

People News: UBS fills consultant relationship role.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... UBS Global Asset Management has appointed Lyndsey Pilling as a director of consultant relationships. In this newly-created role, Mr Pilling will be responsible for developing and maintaining consultant relationships for UBS Global AM. ...

People News: Jamurtas named head of Intertrust.(Matthew Jamurtas)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... Eureko and Interamerican have hired Matthew Jamurtas as chief executive of Inter-trust, their Greek retail fund management operation starting in April. F&C Management, the asset management arm of the Eureko group, is expected to assume...

Portfolio: Asset Allocation - Europe - Morley takes on Kingfisher property.
April 7, 2003... A GBP90m brief from Kingfisher Pension Scheme called for investment in a number of indirect property vehicles including limited partnerships, property unit trusts and managed pension funds. Phil Ellis, institutional property business...

Portfolio: Asset Allocation - Asia-Pacific - Health Super switches to active style.(GMO Australia)
April 7, 2003... GMO Australia is winning business with a quant-based style of investing that blends value and momentum. The capture of a A$160m (e89m) mandate from the industry super fund Health Super takes funds under management above the A$3bn level after...

Portfolio: Asset Allocation - Americas - Colorado farms out high yield.(Seix Investment Advisors Inc.)
April 7, 2003... Seix Investment Advisors concentrates its resources on "the healthiest segment" of the high yield market, focusing on BB and high B rated credits. The firm contends that this approach "maximises portfolio return per unit of risk, minimises the...

Portfolio: Market Analysis - View from Europe - Finding real answers to the fundamental questions.
April 7, 2003... What did the dramatic rebound of European share prices in the middle of March signify? Was it a sigh of relief in anticipation of the beginning of war, like a rotten tooth about to be pulled? Was it the end of the vicious circle of...

Portfolio: Market Analysis - View from the Americas - Making decisions for the greater good of the country.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... With subdued economic growth, record-low interest rates, a widening trade deficit, and growing geopolitical uncertainty, the dollar appears doomed to continue its gentle decline. On this, there is consensus. The real debate among Wall Street...

Portfolio: Market Analysis - View from Asia-Pacific - The vision to look beyond circumstantial evidence.
April 7, 2003... It is 12 months since we forecast that conditions were broadly favourable for equity investment in the Asia-Pacific region. This opinion was the product of an upbeat assessment of local fundamentals, not a verdict on the immediate prospects for...

Mandate Research: Asset Allocation - US pension schemes - Seeking refuge in hedge funds.
April 7, 2003... Confronted by a third year of diminished stock performance and narrowing bond yields, the US pension market seemed blanketed in misery in 2002. Yet there were winners at the end of the year too, and according to research gathered by Greenwich...

Mandate Research: Clearing and settlement - Cross-border transactions - A pan-European settlement dream.
April 7, 2003... European capital markets are undergoing a process of integration. The service provides four functions for investors relating to a securities transaction - trading, clearing, settlement and custody. The challenge for the future is how to...

Mandate Research: Clearing and settlement - Cross-border transactions - 'We're committed to fair and open access via our business model'.
April 7, 2003... The basic objective of the Euroclear business model, "Delivering a domestic market for Europe", is to meet user demand for cheaper cross-border settlement by consolidating what is, by any standards, a highly fragmented securities settlement...

Mandate Research: Fund administration - Outsourcing - Outsourcing with a small 'o'.
April 7, 2003... How long outsourcing has been around in the arena of investment operations is subject to debate. But there is no mistaking how topical the subject was in 2000 and how relatively quiet it has been of late. Not much is happening in the...

Mandate Research: Fund administration - Outsourcing - Winning a wider share of outsourced business.
April 7, 2003... Large outsourcing deals may not have been as thick on the ground as anticipated in 2000 but providers have seen a dramatic influx of business over the past three years. With investment managers desperate to offload superfluous services and...

Regional Survey: Europe - Dublin - From back office to centre stage.
April 7, 2003... In recent years Dublin has been perceived as a city of possibilities and one that has many faces. It is a vibrant, progressive and increasingly multicultural city. This gateway has provided the space and opportunity for many businesses to...

UK pensions spurn hedge funds for private equity.(JP Morgan Fleming Asset Management)
April 7, 2003... Only 8 per cent of UK pension schemes invest in hedge funds and none of the top 10 schemes (with assets in excess of GBP10bn) have any hedge fund investments. This compares with 44 per cent of pension schemes currently investing in private...

Investors told to look to Far East markets.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... Anxious investors looking for returns from equity markets in present tur- bulent times should look at the Asian markets, fund managers have claimed. According to Leon Goldfeld, chief investment officer, AXA Rosenberg Asia Pacific, markets...

Mercer 360 made for smaller Irish schemes.(Mercer Investment Consulting Inc.)(Attica Asset Management Ltd.)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... Mercer Investment Consulting (MIC) has teamed up with Attica Asset Management to launch a multi-manager investment consultancy service for small to medium- sized pension funds in Ireland. Tom Murphy, head of MIC in Dublin, said the new...

Third-party animals - Chinese whispers.
April 7, 2003... Last issue's story of Dickie Yip spearheading HSBC's charge into the uncharted waters of Chinese custody came as little surprise to one old Asia hand reporting for FT Mandate. It turns out this scribe interviewed the chief executive of HSBC's...

Conferences.
April 7, 2003... - Managing Corporate Responsibility, London, UK, April 9-11 Three-day course run by Ethical Corporation Contact: +44(0)20 7375 7561 - Custody Strategy, Amsterdam, Netherlands, April 9-10 Two-day course Two day course run by IIR...

News: KBC picks up e36m in balanced mandates.(KBC Asset Management)(Brief Article)
April 21, 2003... KBC Asset Management has won a brace of balanced mandates worth a total of E36m from Belgian institutions. The largest is a E15m for Antwerpse Waterwerken, a water company owned by the City of Antwerp. It has also won a E12m balanced...

News: Suffolk to name private equity winners.(Suffolk County Council)(Brief Article)
April 21, 2003... Suffolk County Council pension fund is poised to announce the identity of the two private equity managers it has recently appointed. The GBP600m UK fund is allocating 5 per cent to private equity, with GBP12m going to one manager and GBP18m...

News: Janus appoints BBH custodian of $5.1bn global portfolio.(Brown Brothers Harriman)(Brief Article)
April 21, 2003... Brown Brothers Harriman (BBH) has won a $5.1bn custody mandate from Janus International. BBH, which had no previous ties with the group, will act as custodian for Janus International's Janus World Funds, Janus Selection Funds and Janus PPF...

Editorial: Trustees torn between market loyalty and logic.(Editorial)
April 21, 2003... With all the conflicting investment advice flying about these days, pension funds could be forgiven for feeling bewildered. On the one hand, consultants are urging trustees to retain a long-term perspective and stick with equities, despite the...

News: In brief - Sir Williamson forced to resign from Liffe post.(Brief Article)
April 21, 2003... Sir Brian Williamson, Liffe chairman, is stepping down, in line with Dutch law which prevents him being on the boards of both Liffe and parent company Euronext. A spokeswoman said if no successor had been found by July 1 then Jean-...

News: In brief - iShares ETF now open to investors in Germany.
April 21, 2003... iShares S&P 500, an exchange-traded (ETF) fund run by Barclays Global Investors, is to be made available to German investors. According to Mark Roberts, head of iShares product strategy, many Europeans went cross border in buying ETFs but...

News: In brief - Waltham entrusts oe80m Church brief to UBS.
April 21, 2003... The London Borough of Waltham Forest Superannuation Fund is weighing up its options having relieved Church Charity Local Authority of an GBP80m global equity mandate last year. The GBP80m portfolio has been handed to UBS to manage...

News: In brief - UBS maintains pole position in fund survey.(Brief Article)
April 21, 2003... Fitzrovia International's ninth annual Luxembourg Fund Encyclopaedia shows that US fund promoters, with $200bn under management in the principality, have slightly closed the gap on their Swiss rivals with $219.7bn under management. Total...

News: In brief - Illinois passes vote on investment principles.(Brief Article)
April 21, 2003... The $21bn Illinois Teachers Retirement System (ITRS) has voted to put investment protection principles in its investment management agreements. As well as agreement to consider corporate governance principles and practices in making...

News: BGI loses oe174m Hackney mandate.(Barclays Global Investors)(Brief Article)
April 21, 2003... Barclays Global Investors (BGI) has lost a brief worth GBP174m from the London Borough of Hackney Pension Fund. BGI, which ran 51 per cent of the GBP342m fund, and an in-house team running 33 per cent have been dropped in favour of Axa...

News: Equity fall-out still failing to lure investors to bonds.
April 21, 2003... Despite pessimism about the prospects for a strong stock market recovery in the medium term, investors are reluctant to pour more money into government bonds. Around 30 per cent of institutions surveyed recently by Mercer Investment...

News: Islington invites bids for overseas portfolio.(Brief Article)
April 21, 2003... The London Borough of Islington pension fund is tendering for an overseas active manager for a GBP100m portfolio. The scheme is seeking tenders as part of a regular review. The current manager Nikko Global Asset Management will be invited...

News: SSSB chief casualty in Ohio appraisal of EAFE managers.(Schroder Salomon Smith Barney; Ohio Police and Fire Pension Fund)(Brief Article)
April 21, 2003... The $7.1bn Ohio Police and Fire Pension Fund is to sack Schroder Salomon Smith Barney from a $200m mandate. The overseas equities brief, benchmarked against the MSCI EAFE index, has been put out to tender. Ted Hall, chief investment officer...

News: Nordea secures German deal.(Brief Article)
April 21, 2003... Commerzbank has struck a distribution deal with Nordea Investment Funds which makes Nordea funds available to Commerzbank private banking clients. The deal includes the entire range of funds under the Nordea 1 Sicav - more than 30 bond,...

Comment and Analysis: Bond switch as FRS17 snapshot takes effect.
April 21, 2003... Is it any wonder if UK trustees are turning to bonds, with equity markets in turmoil and FRS17 forcing companies to look carefully at their pension fund deficits? The danger, as Merrill Lynch Investment Managers (MLIM) has said, is that...

News: FXall soon to facilitate money markets.
April 21, 2003... FXall, an electronic trading platform for foreign exchange trading, is extending its automated functionality to money market instruments. The new service, which will be rolled out in the third quarter, will enable clients to confirm money...

News: State Street cuts further 1800 jobs in bid to save $125m.(Brief Article)
April 21, 2003... State Street Corporation is to axe a total of 2800 jobs, with the majority likely to be in the US. The global securities services giant has decided to shed a further 1800 staff following February's announcement that 1000 jobs would be lost...

News: CalPERS puts $200m in Japan corporate governance fund.
April 21, 2003... The $130bn California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) has approved a $200m investment in the Taiyo Fund, a fund that will employ corporate government activism to turn around underperforming publicly-traded companies in Japan. ...

News: In brief - Omgeo STP solution to boost online allocations.(Brief Article)
April 21, 2003... Omgeo has launched a new STP solution in the US and is planning a similar initiative outside that market. Global trade management services provider Omgeo claims that Omgeo Allocation Manager will simplify allocation submission, minimise...

News: In brief - Higham reinvented.(Higham Group)(Brief Article)
April 21, 2003... Higham Group, the UK-based pensions and insurance outsourcing specialists, has announced a change of name and a move to new offices in Southwark, London and Theale, Reading. The firm, formed in 1998, and previously known as HighamNobbs...

News: Snapshot effect works to pensions' detriment.(Brief Article)
April 21, 2003... Merrill Lynch Investment Managers (MLIM) has claimed that the annual snapshot effect of the UK's new accounting standard, FRS17, may cause pension fund trustees to adopt a short-term mindset, when, given the long-term nature of pensions, it...

News: Morley wins $1.7bn brief as Aviva unloads fixed income.(Brief Article)
April 21, 2003... Morley Fund Management has been appointed to run a $1.7bn mandate by Aviva Life Insurance Company. The contract, which will be run by Morley's associate office in Boston, is split between $1.6bn in US corporate bonds and $100m in...

News: IFEX launch to help small firms.(Brief Article)
April 21, 2003... A brokerage platform has been launched to match small to medium-sized enterprises with potential investors through the internet. The Anglo Dutch finance brokerage IFEX Innovation Finance & Equity Exchange BV and the IFEX Innovation Finance...

News: ETFs make ground in Europe.(exchange-traded funds)(Brief Article)
April 21, 2003... Merrill Lynch's LDRS products, which claim to be Europe's first exchange- traded funds (ETFs), have reached E1.5bn under management on their third anniversary. This is an increase from E150m at launch three years ago, according to Manooj...

How the deal was won: BGI gets alpha message across.(Barclays Global Investors)
April 21, 2003... Before awarding Barclays Global Investors (BGI) a GBP110m UK active equity mandate, Fife Council in Scotland voiced one key concern in connection with the asset managers' quantitatively-driven investment process. "They wanted to know...

News: Bermuda/Beauchamp link up spawns front-office platform.(Brief Article)
April 21, 2003... Bank of Bermuda's Global Fund Services (GFS) division has joined forces with Beauchamp Financial Technology to launch a new front-office trade and portfolio management platform called GFSTrade. The new product will provide trade processing...